Ryback On WWE Being Furious With CM Punk Taunts And Using "Pre-Show Stopper Belt," Being Checked Out

On episode nine of Conversation With The Big Guy, former WWE Superstar Ryback talked about the office's reaction to his 'Pre-Show Stopper' weight belt, being told to stop using CM Punk's signature moves, and why he left WWE.

According to Ryback, WWE officials were upset by 'The Big Guy''s 'Pre-show Stopper' weight belt, a humorous reference to 'The Show Stopper' Shawn Michaels and his penchant for main eventing, or at least stealing the show, at 'The Showcase Of The Immortals,' in light of Ryback's streak of pay-per-view pre-show performances and tumultuous contract negotiations at the time. Ryback recalled that WWE referee John Cone kept telling him to take off the weight belt during the match with Kalisto and he declined using colorful language. 'The Human Wrecking Ball' claimed he was also told to stop using Punk's moves as well.

"They were so furious with that weight belt. Yeah, they were so mad. Cone kept telling me, 'they go 'take off the weight belt' and I kept saying, 'tell them to f--k off.' And during the match I was already checked out, I was gone, and I said, 'I'm going to have fun one way or another.' I had to cut out, like Cone kept going, 'no more CM Punk stuff, no more CM Punk stuff' and I was going to do the running knee into the GTS and not cover him to really… they were eating it up, but we got cut on time, as always."

Also during the show, Ryback divulged that he really wanted to stay with WWE, but he had outside interests that could not be done as long as he was with WWE. The former WWE Intercontinental Champion said he was put on pre-shows because he did not sign the new contract he was being offered right away and it was really a game of chicken with Vince McMahon. Additionally, Ryback admitted that while he always gave his all in the squared circle, he completely checked out by WrestleMania 32.

"I tried desperately that entire last year to work everything out and I really, really truly wanted to stay, but I had outside interests and I have other things that I'm doing now that being there was not allowing me to do. And the reason, and Vince, and we talked about it before, and the way they used me, my last couple of months there, and had me on the pre-shows was because I didn't sign their contract."

Ryback continued, "I wanted to see if he was going to [keep] his word to me, and he didn't. And he probably booked me that way and didn't do what he said, for the most part, although he has lied to me before, it was because I didn't sign that contract right away. And so, it was sort of a game of chicken and I was sticking to my guns, so I was already far checked out those last couple of months. Come WrestleMania, I was fully checked out."

Click here to check out the podcast. If you use any of the quotes from this article, please credit Conversation With The Big Guy with an H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.